How can I cycle 80+ miles on the weekend but feel so dead on the 3 miles home from work?
I thought about going for a ride this evening but after slowly crawling uphill all the way home I thought I should stay in and eat. It was a mental battle to not go and exercise but I thought it best to let myself recover (I think I'm still getting over the stag do.)
I cooked la puttanesca pasta sauce (anchovies, olives, courgette, capers and tomatoes) and ate a double portion (200g) of pasta, followed by a whole Easter egg and the remainder of my Cadbury's Creme Egg ice-cream. I am definitely no longer hungry!
Also tonight I watched the last episode of The Man Who Cycled The Americas and I'm currently reading The Man Who Cycled The World. Really inspiring stuff. I'm already thinking about adventures after LE-JOG...
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Sunday, 21 March 2010
166 ways to lose weight
It's Sunday evening. This weekend I rode 166 miles. I am a broken man.
My lungs feel like they've expanded and contracted beyond the limits of my rib cage. My hands hurt. My shoulders ache. I have chilblains on two toes. Every muscle around my waist and abdomen feels tender. And I'm permanently hungry and thirsty.
Last night, after yesterday's 75 miles, I went out for dinner and ate ham and parsley terrine to start, followed by steak and chips with parsnips and carrots. For dessert I ate most people's leftovers. It was a hideous display of consumption.
I ate with friends at Graze, the new Bath Ales steakhouse in the centre of Bristol. Decent portion sizes, a menu that's heavy on meat, well presented food and good beer make it a winner in my book. Hopefully I'll go there to eat after every long ride.
However, as nice as the food was, on the way home I was very close to getting a kebab.
Today I rode 91 miles in just under 5 hours. I stopped for lunch outside an Esso petrol station in Wotton Bassett and ate a lemon chicken baguette, a danish pastry and a banana. Now that I'm home I've just eaten a bowl of lamb stew. It barely made a dent in my hunger. Some jam roly poly is currently in the oven. I think tonight will be a long night of eating. The things I'm craving most right now: a McFlurry and a milkshake.
Today's ride took me north to Wotton Under Edge, then east to Tetbury, Malmesbury and Wotton Bassett. Tetbury and Malmesbury looked like lovely market towns (for the two minutes I spent cycling through them). Malmesbury has a fine looking church and adjacent hotel that I'd love to have stopped at for Sunday lunch.
Halfway to Wotton Under Edge I came across this fantastically named town (see the photo below). These English town names are much more imaginative than Welsh town names that don't mean a thing to a non-Welsh speaker.
By the time I got to Wotton Bassett I'd ridden 45 miles. A man in the petrol station asked where I'd been. He couldn't quite believe it when I said Bristol. The thought of 45 miles to get home suddenly seemed pretty daunting. Still, the countryside kept me interested. The ride to Wotton Bassett seemed to be along a ridge overlooking a lovely valley of green fields and recently ploughed furrows on my left hand side. Then, after a climb up from Wotton Bassett towards Calne and Chippenham I appeared on the other side of the valley with the view on my right hand side. Plus it was gloriously sunny today. I wore shorts for the first time. I think I may have even got a tan. No, wait, sorry, it's just dirt.
Heading back home I passed through the centre of Bath then back into south Bristol through Brislington. I can't say that the end of the ride was quite so pretty but it was quick. Had the wind died down, was I sheltered from the wind by the cities' buildings, or was I just feeling strong because I knew the end was in sight? Possibly all three.
I cycle with an ipod playing on shuffle mode. Each song is a nice surprise. Today's most motivating song was Song 2 by Blur, coming as a climbed an ugly looking hill into Wotton Under Edge. Thank you Albarn et al.
So, all in all, a really encouraging weekend. According to my training manual I need to be able to ride two-thirds of the daily distance for three consecutive days before my ride. I've done two this weekend. I'm on track. Plus my sponsorship page is looking a lot healthier (thanks if you've chipped in).
Right now I'm going to eat some more, drink some more, lie down some and then sleep a lot. Getting up this morning was hard enough. Getting up for work tomorrow won't be pleasant. I've ridden 260 miles this week, riding every day except Thursday. Tomorrow I'm taking a rest day.
My lungs feel like they've expanded and contracted beyond the limits of my rib cage. My hands hurt. My shoulders ache. I have chilblains on two toes. Every muscle around my waist and abdomen feels tender. And I'm permanently hungry and thirsty.
Last night, after yesterday's 75 miles, I went out for dinner and ate ham and parsley terrine to start, followed by steak and chips with parsnips and carrots. For dessert I ate most people's leftovers. It was a hideous display of consumption.
I ate with friends at Graze, the new Bath Ales steakhouse in the centre of Bristol. Decent portion sizes, a menu that's heavy on meat, well presented food and good beer make it a winner in my book. Hopefully I'll go there to eat after every long ride.
However, as nice as the food was, on the way home I was very close to getting a kebab.
Today I rode 91 miles in just under 5 hours. I stopped for lunch outside an Esso petrol station in Wotton Bassett and ate a lemon chicken baguette, a danish pastry and a banana. Now that I'm home I've just eaten a bowl of lamb stew. It barely made a dent in my hunger. Some jam roly poly is currently in the oven. I think tonight will be a long night of eating. The things I'm craving most right now: a McFlurry and a milkshake.
Today's ride took me north to Wotton Under Edge, then east to Tetbury, Malmesbury and Wotton Bassett. Tetbury and Malmesbury looked like lovely market towns (for the two minutes I spent cycling through them). Malmesbury has a fine looking church and adjacent hotel that I'd love to have stopped at for Sunday lunch.
Halfway to Wotton Under Edge I came across this fantastically named town (see the photo below). These English town names are much more imaginative than Welsh town names that don't mean a thing to a non-Welsh speaker.
By the time I got to Wotton Bassett I'd ridden 45 miles. A man in the petrol station asked where I'd been. He couldn't quite believe it when I said Bristol. The thought of 45 miles to get home suddenly seemed pretty daunting. Still, the countryside kept me interested. The ride to Wotton Bassett seemed to be along a ridge overlooking a lovely valley of green fields and recently ploughed furrows on my left hand side. Then, after a climb up from Wotton Bassett towards Calne and Chippenham I appeared on the other side of the valley with the view on my right hand side. Plus it was gloriously sunny today. I wore shorts for the first time. I think I may have even got a tan. No, wait, sorry, it's just dirt.
Heading back home I passed through the centre of Bath then back into south Bristol through Brislington. I can't say that the end of the ride was quite so pretty but it was quick. Had the wind died down, was I sheltered from the wind by the cities' buildings, or was I just feeling strong because I knew the end was in sight? Possibly all three.
I cycle with an ipod playing on shuffle mode. Each song is a nice surprise. Today's most motivating song was Song 2 by Blur, coming as a climbed an ugly looking hill into Wotton Under Edge. Thank you Albarn et al.
So, all in all, a really encouraging weekend. According to my training manual I need to be able to ride two-thirds of the daily distance for three consecutive days before my ride. I've done two this weekend. I'm on track. Plus my sponsorship page is looking a lot healthier (thanks if you've chipped in).
Right now I'm going to eat some more, drink some more, lie down some and then sleep a lot. Getting up this morning was hard enough. Getting up for work tomorrow won't be pleasant. I've ridden 260 miles this week, riding every day except Thursday. Tomorrow I'm taking a rest day.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Wet, wet, wet
Rumour has it that cycling in weather similar to that which today and yesterday brought inspired Marti Pello and friends to coin their band name.
It properly honked down for the whole of my 30 miles after work on Friday and the final hour of today's ride.
Yesterday I took my usual route through Long Ashton, Wraxall, Clevedon, Portishead and back into Bristol via the Suspension Bridge.
The first 10 miles was a bit of a novelty. It's been a while since I rode in rain like that (being a bit of a fairweather cyclist - although who isn't?) and it was a bit more challenging. Steamed up glasses, rain stinging my face, inefficient braking. Lots more things to think about. Between miles 10 and 20 I realised that I was pretty wet. My new 3/4 length bib shorts, good as they are, allow rain to run down my calves and into my socks. After 20 miles my feet felt like barges in shoe rivers. The final 10 miles of that route are almost all uphill too. Soaking wet and going uphill. I must have looked pretty unhappy.
To keep my mind occupied (if not preoccupied) I tried to think of songs that had something to do with rain in the title. I came up with: Garbage - I'm only happy when it rains, Billie Myers (?) - Kiss the rain and Travis - Why does it always rain on me. It stopped me thinking about being wet anyway.
Today (Saturday) the weather looked better. I rode to Gloucester in record time (30 miles at 23mph stats fans) then turned left and realised which way the wind had been blowing. The next 20 miles following the River Severn were quite a slog through a moderate headwind. Then the rain started again. Light enough at first to make me think it was just a shower, then stupidly heavy for the remaining hour of my ride. I rode through Chepstow, trying not to think about the 1/2 mile climb out of the town, and then rode across the old Severn Bridge where the visibility was so bad that I couldn't make out the tops of the large suspension stanchions.
The image below is what I could see when I was riding on the Severn Bridge.
By the time I got home I'd been cycling in the rain for 20 miles and my toes were wrinkled like I'd been in the bath too long. I rode 75 miles today though, which I'm really pleased with.
Last night someone told me they liked reading about what I'd been eating. Katharine, this is for you! Today I ate two servings (approx 100 grams) of porridge with brown sugar for breakfast, a banana, two pieces of Golden Syrup cake and a cereal bar on the ride, a bowl of pasta and bobotie (pronounced bo-bo-tea; a great African mince dish that Helen makes), a bowl of cereal and a slice of bakewell tart when I got home, and now I'm off out for steak. The calorie counter on mapmyride told me I burnt 4880 calories. Expect hollow cheeks any day now...
Songs of the ride: Toxicity by System of a Down and Two of three ain't bad by Meatloaf. Somehow singing along to an 'oldie' really helps.
It properly honked down for the whole of my 30 miles after work on Friday and the final hour of today's ride.
Yesterday I took my usual route through Long Ashton, Wraxall, Clevedon, Portishead and back into Bristol via the Suspension Bridge.
The first 10 miles was a bit of a novelty. It's been a while since I rode in rain like that (being a bit of a fairweather cyclist - although who isn't?) and it was a bit more challenging. Steamed up glasses, rain stinging my face, inefficient braking. Lots more things to think about. Between miles 10 and 20 I realised that I was pretty wet. My new 3/4 length bib shorts, good as they are, allow rain to run down my calves and into my socks. After 20 miles my feet felt like barges in shoe rivers. The final 10 miles of that route are almost all uphill too. Soaking wet and going uphill. I must have looked pretty unhappy.
To keep my mind occupied (if not preoccupied) I tried to think of songs that had something to do with rain in the title. I came up with: Garbage - I'm only happy when it rains, Billie Myers (?) - Kiss the rain and Travis - Why does it always rain on me. It stopped me thinking about being wet anyway.
Today (Saturday) the weather looked better. I rode to Gloucester in record time (30 miles at 23mph stats fans) then turned left and realised which way the wind had been blowing. The next 20 miles following the River Severn were quite a slog through a moderate headwind. Then the rain started again. Light enough at first to make me think it was just a shower, then stupidly heavy for the remaining hour of my ride. I rode through Chepstow, trying not to think about the 1/2 mile climb out of the town, and then rode across the old Severn Bridge where the visibility was so bad that I couldn't make out the tops of the large suspension stanchions.
The image below is what I could see when I was riding on the Severn Bridge.
By the time I got home I'd been cycling in the rain for 20 miles and my toes were wrinkled like I'd been in the bath too long. I rode 75 miles today though, which I'm really pleased with.
Last night someone told me they liked reading about what I'd been eating. Katharine, this is for you! Today I ate two servings (approx 100 grams) of porridge with brown sugar for breakfast, a banana, two pieces of Golden Syrup cake and a cereal bar on the ride, a bowl of pasta and bobotie (pronounced bo-bo-tea; a great African mince dish that Helen makes), a bowl of cereal and a slice of bakewell tart when I got home, and now I'm off out for steak. The calorie counter on mapmyride told me I burnt 4880 calories. Expect hollow cheeks any day now...
Songs of the ride: Toxicity by System of a Down and Two of three ain't bad by Meatloaf. Somehow singing along to an 'oldie' really helps.
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Two's company
So there was a last minute change of plans this morning. 60 lumpy miles to Cheltenham became a relatively flat 50 to Chepstow.
It was a lovely sunny ride with my friend Pete. He's just bought a new Bianchi C2C and wanted to put it through its paces. For someone new to road cycling Pete's a strong cyclist and good to ride with. Every time I thought I'd pushed him a bit too far he'd come storming back and offer to take the lead, which certainly helped in the headwind on the way home.
Riding with someone else made the time pass really quickly. We spent about half the ride at a pace where we could talk. It wasn't the hardest of rides although I guess it shouldn't always be about high average speeds.
With the company and thought of a big night in Cheltenham later tonight I suggested that we stop at Coffee #1 in Chepstow for erm... coffee. But the lure of their huge plates of apple pie and cream was too much to resist. It felt a bit wrong eating so much after only 25 miles but (after the initial sicky feeling) I feel good now. I'm not too hungry and not too tired so this new heavy eating regime might be the way to go.
So I'll have a quite a few beers tonight, a Mother's Day meal tomorrow lunchtime, and then try and make it out for a few miles tomorrow afternoon. That'll be three consecutive days of riding, albeit at about 1/3rd of the LEJoG daily distance...
It was a lovely sunny ride with my friend Pete. He's just bought a new Bianchi C2C and wanted to put it through its paces. For someone new to road cycling Pete's a strong cyclist and good to ride with. Every time I thought I'd pushed him a bit too far he'd come storming back and offer to take the lead, which certainly helped in the headwind on the way home.
Riding with someone else made the time pass really quickly. We spent about half the ride at a pace where we could talk. It wasn't the hardest of rides although I guess it shouldn't always be about high average speeds.
With the company and thought of a big night in Cheltenham later tonight I suggested that we stop at Coffee #1 in Chepstow for erm... coffee. But the lure of their huge plates of apple pie and cream was too much to resist. It felt a bit wrong eating so much after only 25 miles but (after the initial sicky feeling) I feel good now. I'm not too hungry and not too tired so this new heavy eating regime might be the way to go.
So I'll have a quite a few beers tonight, a Mother's Day meal tomorrow lunchtime, and then try and make it out for a few miles tomorrow afternoon. That'll be three consecutive days of riding, albeit at about 1/3rd of the LEJoG daily distance...
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Comical calorie count
A 70 miler from Bridgend to Bristol yesterday and I cannot stop eating right now. 3300 calories burnt and half a snickers, a Dime bar and a small Toblerone saw me through it. In hindsight that was nowhere near enough!
Since I last wrote I've been on a couple of BIG runs and rides, as well as regular small efforts. I put in two 11 mile training runs for next Sunday's half marathon and three rides to Cheddar (twice) and the above-mentioned ride back from Wales.
My first ride to Cheddar took me out from Bristol on a 60 mile loop to Keynsham, through the lanes to Farrington Gurney, down through the Gorge into Cheddar and then back to Bristol via Shipham hill, Congresbury and Belmont Hill. A hilly 60 mile workout. It was nice to take a new route for once. Keynsham's a bit of a hassle though - there must be an easier passage than through the town centre!
The following Wednesday I took half day from work and rode out to Clevedon, Congresbury and Cheddar. I got to Helen's parents house at 3.30pm, dropped off my backpack and went back out to Blagdon lake and back into Cheddar through the Gorge again. That 5 mile descent through the Gorge is fast becoming my favourite place to ride. On the contrary, the evil climb into Shipham never gets any easier.
Wednesday's ride was pretty wet but I did see the most amazing rainbow. The foot of it was less than 200m away from me in a field next to Blagdon lake. I almost jumped off the bike to dig up that pot of gold! Most of my riding has been in fair or sunny weather so it was good to practice in the wet, although I didn't think so at the time!
This Saturday Helen and I drove to Bridgend to pick up some furniture from my Nan. We met her at her spiritual home (Castle Bingo) where they do giant fried breakfasts. I ate mine and finished off Helen's too. Then I rode back home via Cardiff and Newport. After battling the city centre traffic in Cardiff it was a really nice journey home. After Newport I took Sustrans NCN route 4 which was quiet and flat but I missed a signpost and ended up riding half a mile down on a mud track near Caldicott. Prior to that my tyre split and I punctured so I was prayed the mud track wouldn't cause another.
The Castle Bingo breakfast kept me going for 50 miles or so but I didn't have any other food with me. I stopped at a garage after 55 miles and ate a Dime Bar and Toblerone and drank a bottle of Lucozade but by then it was a bit too late. I didn't fully realise how hungry and tired I was until I got home. I ate like a horse and I was pretty grouchy in the evening. I wasn't much company for Helen. I've been reading recently that eating something small every hour is a good idea. I guess it will help my recovery, even if I'm not hungry at the time.
So the cheque book will be coming out again this week to buy a rear tyre and sort out the sluggish feeling that my bike has on hills (it's either the rider or the bike and I'm convinced it's the bike at the moment - something with the freewheel or the bottom bracket I think). I also need to start buying a few things for my journey. I've got my eye on: a turbo trainer, an extra pair of shorts (3/4 length?), a bag for the crossbar (to hold maps, etc), a spare computer and a chain tool.
By the way, I've been meaning to write this for a while. I normally take an iPod with me to listen to music when I ride (one ear only though - safety first kids!). Recently I've been picking my 'song of the ride'. It's generally the song that puts a smile on my face or helps to get me to the top of a hill.
So without further ado, my songs of the past fortnight have been Descendents - I'm Not A Loser and Tubelord - He Awoke on a Bench in Abergavenny.
Next week is that half marathon so there'll be no big cycle rides for the next seven days. I might treat myself to the static bike in the gym though (oh joy!)...
Since I last wrote I've been on a couple of BIG runs and rides, as well as regular small efforts. I put in two 11 mile training runs for next Sunday's half marathon and three rides to Cheddar (twice) and the above-mentioned ride back from Wales.
My first ride to Cheddar took me out from Bristol on a 60 mile loop to Keynsham, through the lanes to Farrington Gurney, down through the Gorge into Cheddar and then back to Bristol via Shipham hill, Congresbury and Belmont Hill. A hilly 60 mile workout. It was nice to take a new route for once. Keynsham's a bit of a hassle though - there must be an easier passage than through the town centre!
The following Wednesday I took half day from work and rode out to Clevedon, Congresbury and Cheddar. I got to Helen's parents house at 3.30pm, dropped off my backpack and went back out to Blagdon lake and back into Cheddar through the Gorge again. That 5 mile descent through the Gorge is fast becoming my favourite place to ride. On the contrary, the evil climb into Shipham never gets any easier.
Wednesday's ride was pretty wet but I did see the most amazing rainbow. The foot of it was less than 200m away from me in a field next to Blagdon lake. I almost jumped off the bike to dig up that pot of gold! Most of my riding has been in fair or sunny weather so it was good to practice in the wet, although I didn't think so at the time!
This Saturday Helen and I drove to Bridgend to pick up some furniture from my Nan. We met her at her spiritual home (Castle Bingo) where they do giant fried breakfasts. I ate mine and finished off Helen's too. Then I rode back home via Cardiff and Newport. After battling the city centre traffic in Cardiff it was a really nice journey home. After Newport I took Sustrans NCN route 4 which was quiet and flat but I missed a signpost and ended up riding half a mile down on a mud track near Caldicott. Prior to that my tyre split and I punctured so I was prayed the mud track wouldn't cause another.
The Castle Bingo breakfast kept me going for 50 miles or so but I didn't have any other food with me. I stopped at a garage after 55 miles and ate a Dime Bar and Toblerone and drank a bottle of Lucozade but by then it was a bit too late. I didn't fully realise how hungry and tired I was until I got home. I ate like a horse and I was pretty grouchy in the evening. I wasn't much company for Helen. I've been reading recently that eating something small every hour is a good idea. I guess it will help my recovery, even if I'm not hungry at the time.
So the cheque book will be coming out again this week to buy a rear tyre and sort out the sluggish feeling that my bike has on hills (it's either the rider or the bike and I'm convinced it's the bike at the moment - something with the freewheel or the bottom bracket I think). I also need to start buying a few things for my journey. I've got my eye on: a turbo trainer, an extra pair of shorts (3/4 length?), a bag for the crossbar (to hold maps, etc), a spare computer and a chain tool.
By the way, I've been meaning to write this for a while. I normally take an iPod with me to listen to music when I ride (one ear only though - safety first kids!). Recently I've been picking my 'song of the ride'. It's generally the song that puts a smile on my face or helps to get me to the top of a hill.
So without further ado, my songs of the past fortnight have been Descendents - I'm Not A Loser and Tubelord - He Awoke on a Bench in Abergavenny.
Next week is that half marathon so there'll be no big cycle rides for the next seven days. I might treat myself to the static bike in the gym though (oh joy!)...
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